Peter Buseck and his research group are known for their research in solid state geochemistry and mineralogy, geochemistry and cosmochemistry, and atmospheric geochemistry. They pioneered in the use of transmission electron microscopy to study minerals, meteorites, and aerosol particles at close to the atomic scale. At Arizona State University he won the Graduate College Outstanding Graduate Mentor Award, and he was named a Graduate College Distinguished Research Fellow. Professor Buseck has had visiting appointments at Oxford and Stanford Universities, the University of Paris (VI, VII), and Harvard University. He was Assistant to the Director of the U.S. National Science Foundation in 1994-5. He is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Geological Society of America, the Meteoritical Society, and the Mineralogical Society of America.

Professor Buseck conducts research on: (1) crystal structures and defects in minerals at the atomic level using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy; (2) the geochemistry and mineralogy of various types of meteorites (carbonaceous chondrites, enstatite chondrites, pallasites, etc.); and (3) the nature of aerosol particles such as airborne minerals, soot, and other small grains, their chemical and physical reactions (e.g., deliquescence, efflorescence) in the atmosphere, and their effects on air quality and climate change.

The activities of my research group include (1) the development and application of electron-beam instruments to the study of nanoparticles in the environment and their effects on atmospheric geochemistry and air quality, (2) the origin and character of carbonaceous chondrite meteorites, and (3) the study of crystal defects in minerals at the atomic level using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy.

1. Environmental/Analytical Geochemistry: Aerosol particles exert important but only partly understood effects on environmental quality, global climate change, cloud formation, and health. We are using electron microscopy and spectroscopy to analyze aerosol particles from around the globe in order to determine their chemical and physical properties. This research is typically done as part of international experiments involving ground-, ship-, aircraft-based, and remote-sensing satellite measurements in collaboration with scientists at government laboratories and other universities. We have sampled in South Africa, Namibia, the Middle East, Japan, Europe, and the tropics. (Support: NSF, DOE)

2. Cosmochemistry. Carbonaceous and certain enstatite chondrite meteorites are among the most primitive materials in the solar system and contain the keys to many long-standing problems in cosmochemistry. We are studying their mineralogy and geochemistry primarily with electron-beam techniques in order to understand the early history of the solar system. (Support: NASA)

3. Solid State Geochemistry/Mineralogy. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) is extremely powerful for studying the chemistry and structure of crystalline materials. We can observe small irregularities and crystal defects in minerals and relate these to their geological histories. Chemical reactions, “frozen” while still in progress, can be observed and thus mechanisms of reaction understood. Emphasis is being placed on problems of order-disorder, non-stoichiometry, modulated structures, and other deviations from ideality in crystals. Development of methods for making high-pressure measurements within an electron microscope has led to measurements of hydrogen solubility in iron at elevated P and T for the study of the origin of terrestrial water. (Support: NSF, NASA, W.M. Keck Foundation)